Milo Ventimiglia Says Jack’s Death Comes Early In ‘This Is Us’ Season 2

Milo Ventimiglia says the cause of death of his This Is Us character Jack Pearson will be revealed soon—maybe even sooner than fans expect. At NBCUniversal’s 2017 Upfronts, Ventimiglia confirmed that Papa Pearson’s untimely demise will be addressed at the top of the show’s second season. Ventimiglia seemed to be sympathetic to fans who were disappointed by the This Is Us finale earlier this year.

“I mean, look, for it not to happen, that would be a slap in the face,” Milo told Entertainment Tonight of his character’s death story. “It blows me away that everybody is dying to know, but at the same time, I get it. It’s a curiosity.”

“Jack’s ultimate death, I think that question may get answered relatively quick.”

This Is Us fans know that Ventimiglia’s character dies when his three kids are teenagers sometime during the mid-to-late 1990s, but his cause of death remains one of the biggest mysteries on the flashback-filled NBC drama. Still, Milo wouldn’t mind if fans would focus on the Pearson patriarch’s life instead of his impending death. Ventimiglia also pointed out that fans may want to let the character’s rocky marital storyline play out before he heads to the urn.

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“What I tell people is the novel that is Jack’s life is much more interesting than the footnote of his death,” Milo told ET. “Paying attention to how the man lived, especially now with dire times. His wife [Rebecca] and he are not together at the end of the season, so you want to see them repaired and put back together.”

While filming for the second season of This Is Us doesn’t start until mid-July, Milo said he knows “a good amount” about what happens to Jack. Ventimiglia added that the cast will start to see the actual scripts by early July.

Milo also commented on This Is Us’ timeslot change—the show is moving from Tuesdays to Thursday nights—and admitted that while it’s “a scary moment when you hear that your show is being moved,” he is honored that the show has also been given the coveted post-Super Bowl slot for a special episode in February.

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Milo Ventimiglia isn’t the only This Is Us star who knows when and how Jack dies. Sterling K. Brown, who plays the adult version of jack’s son Randall, told E! Newshe knows all about the show’s biggest mystery.

“I know we’ll find out how Jack dies and I know we’ll see it,” Brown told E! at the 2017 Upfront. “Don’t cry yet! I can’t tell you exactly when it will happen…it will happen this season.”

Brown’s TV wife, Susan Kelechi Watson (Beth Pearson on This Is Us ) also asked fans to focus on Papa Pearson’s life and not dwell on his death.

“I think it’s so much more important to watch his life,” the This Is Us star said, adding that there’s much more to the beloved character than just “finding out how he passes.”

Milo Ventimiglia’s other TV son, Justin Hartley, previously teased that fans will “never guess” how Jack dies. Hartley wouldn’t spill any details regarding the top-secret storyline, but the actor did tell InStyle that fans should brace themselves for the big reveal.

“It’s tragic,” Hartley said of the death of Milo’s character. “You see how it affects all of the characters in their own way, and it explains a lot about the relationships. Man, it’s heavy. It’s really, really heavy.”

Milo Ventimiglia and the rest of the cast return to This Is Us Thursday, September 21 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.